Swan Deserves To Continue Good Service To County

In the District 2 County Commission race, incumbent Republican Jim Swan faces a challenge from Democrat Thomas Chalifoux Jr.

Mr. Swan, 38, earned recognition in the early 1980s as president of Save Our Lake Inc., the group that fought to end the dumping of treated sewage into Lake Tohopekaliga by Orange County and Orlando.

The commission's lone Republican, Mr. Swan is a fishing guide who dabbled for a time last year as part-owner of a retail seafood outlet.

As for Mr. Chalifoux, a building contractor, he is making his second bid for a county commission post after losing two years ago to District 1 incumbent Mike Bast. He now lives in District 2.

Mr. Chalifoux, 38, has been an aggressive candidate who established a high profile through hard campaigning and a proliferation of signs.

Yes, Mr. Chalifoux is bright and capable. Yet despite the experience gained in his first unsuccessful bid for elected office two years ago, he still has not assembled a platform of substance.

Because of this major deficiency and the incumbent's overall good job the past four years, The Orlando Sentinel endorses Jim Swan for the District 2 seat on the county commission.

Mr. Swan was the only member of the board who openly opposed the Metropolitan Transportation Authority proposal on the June 4 referendum. Although the Sentinel supported the MTA, at least Mr. Swan had the gumption to take a position and defend it.

Mr. Swan's counterproposal was to encourage the board to issue $8 million in construction bonds for roads. When the MTA died, the commissioners moved quickly to do just that. The county also raised the local gas tax from 4 to 6 cents. Construction on bond-financed Dart Boulevard -- the east-west connector between Buenaventura Lakes and U.S. Highway 441 -- for instance, is almost complete.

As a member of the mental health district board of directors, Mr. Swan has been a strong advocate for improved funding for Mental Health Services of Osceola County.

His priorities: Improved ambulance service, better roads, more money for law enforcement. He favors increasing the county's support for social services and art and cultural activities. Those are sensible goals.

Unfortunately, Mr. Swan has not put among his priorities such critical issues as low-cost housing, public transportation and more park space for the county's fast-growing population. Clearly he needs to give them more attention in the next go-around.

The Orlando Sentinel endorses Jim Swan for the District 2 Osceola County Commission seat.